Thalía is ¡Radiante!

She’s muy caliente! Singer, actress and businesswoman Thalía, 37, is a woman on the go, taking on albums, endorsement deals and more while also acting as devoted mom to daughter Sabrina Sakaë, 18 months, with record producer husband Tommy Mottola. The busy wife and mother recently took some time to chat with CBB about her life, her pregnancy and her newest book, Thalía: ¡Radiante!

Click below to read more about Thalía’s favorite part of pregnancy, who baby Sabrina looks more like and her tips for moms facing postpartum depression.

Jimmy Lenner, Jr.

Celebrity Baby Blog: There are so many pregnancy books out there, but you said you didn’t find any that you felt told you the “whole story.” So what topics do you discuss in your book that you feel was left out of others?

Thalía: I was pregnant, and as you said before, I read plenty of books. But I couldn’t find anything that really resonated with me – some were very dramatic and prohibiting, saying “Don’t do this or this will happen,” or “Don’t do that.” It was very scary. Some were very technical. The others were very cold – no soul, nothing spiritual. So I thought, there’s a niche here, and I’m going to take advantage and I’m just going to do it. So this book to me has it all. I talk about four trimesters. I think there are four trimesters – once you have the baby, the baby is still a little fetus. So he needs at least three months to just understand that he’s outside of your belly, and you need those three months to think about what’s going on with your life and regroup in a new way. I tried to blend treating yourself well, being positive, encouraging yourself, embracing your pregnancy, eating right because you’re eating for two, and exercise like walking or yoga.

The book is young, it’s fresh, it’s happy. It’s a very positive book. But on the other hand, I talk to you about things that nobody tells you about – not even your mother, doctor or nurse. No one prepares you for what’s going on after you have the baby, all the little aches and pains and things that appear and happen in your body after you come home from the hospital. I call it a “secret society” because no one tells you about it! No one tells you the things that you have to use and clean and so on. So I talk about that, also. Because the other books don’t mention anything! Some comments are just about seeing pink balloons and hearts floating around, but there’s a reality here too, and we have to face it and talk about it.

There’s a part in the book where I mention one of my friends who came home from the hospital just before I went in. I was about two weeks from my due date, and she came over with this mysterious little bag, and she had in there some pads, a squeeze bottle. And I said, “OK what is this for?” and she said, “You’ll see darling!” She was the first one that really talked to me straight. So I included that in the book – it’s an eye-opener.

What would you say was the biggest shock about pregnancy or delivery?

They make it sounds so simple. You know it’s going to be painful, but no one really prepares you for the pain! The pain that everyone says is strong and compares to cramps, that doesn’t mean anything compared to when you’re there. Plus, I had 33 hours of labor. So it was a long time, right? But my case is my case.

Some people just arrive and have the baby, some take longer, some have C-sections. I talk about all the options in the book. Have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and Plan D. I say, be open to asking questions, these are the questions you have to ask, and these are the people you need to surround yourself with. I talk about doulas. I give a lot of options for mothers. I named the book Radiante! which means “radiant” [in Spanish] because that’s how you feel when pregnant. (That’s aside from the first trimester, when we feel dizzy and achy.)

When I was pregnant I felt like everything changed. It was a new world. Every color was three-dimensional, everything was beautiful, the smells were alive. The sensations, everything became a new world. So it’s about embracing this moment in your life as a woman, and saying to not be afraid and not judge yourself so severely, just accept and embrace it all. I found so many women who felt uncomfortable or fat or ugly, and to tell the truth, men are so attracted to pregnant women. It’s something in our hormones or aroma, and it’s a beautiful moment. We’re a vessel of life. We’re receiving this life inside of us to give it to the world.

Jimmy Lenner, Jr.

What was your favorite part of your pregnancy?

Passing the first four months! I got really, really sick. I was dizzy, almost seasick. But after that everything was magnificent. I discovered a new world.

When I came home with my baby, it was like leaving an old skin behind and starting fresh. Having the chance and opportunity as a human being to be a better person, break my old patterns and start fresh with no judgment. It’s a new start for me and my daughter. Like, let’s be together and let’s help each other through this.

What has your favorite stage of Sabrina’s life been so far?

Right now is the best of all! Every stage has been incredible, but right now it’s really surprising. She absorbs everything, she repeats everything, memorizes things, talks to me in Spanish and to daddy in English. She knows the difference. She’s so clear, so happy. She’s like a hurricane! Hurricane Sabrina is here, and unstoppable!

Reader SAT wants to know if you had a birth plan and if it helped your labor?

I definitely had a birth plan! I really did my Lamaze exercises and my breathing, and all of it. I took classes. It really helped me in the moment. I had a plan, where I needed a referee, a person in the middle of my crazy mother who would be a stone in the middle of my labor if I allowed it, and my nervous husband, who would make the nervous energy go everywhere. I needed someone in the middle, and that person was a doula. She really helped me. An outsider who came into my life just to help me in those moments. She did a pretty good job, and was very alert, reading all the signs of my body. I wanted to be in my home for as long as possible, then get to the hospital to do the “whole nine yards.” And she really helped me with walking, breathing, drinking water. She really guided me.

Reader Flavia Tropia wants to know if your book talks about how to avoid postpartum depression and if you have advice for mothers who are going through it.

It’s part of the “secret society” that I mentioned to you. I had friends who had hard postpartum depression, and no one really prepared them for that. So the only advice is, everything is hormonal and it will all go back into place. Your hormones are crazy right now, trying to figure out what to do and how to manage this body without the life that was inside of it. So it’s going to evolve, just give it time. Have help around you – like your husband, or if you’re alone, maybe your family can help you. Just take it easy and give it time.

But I also think it’s important for women to speak to their doctor about it and seek professional guidance.

That’s a completely different animal! I can tell you that it was not easy, because once you have Lyme Disease it’s very complex and very painful. That on top of your body recovering and your hormones being crazy, it really gets you badly. Also, I mention in my book to be alert of the signs when you go camping, to barbecues or outdoors, and to check yourself for any visible signs of ticks.

Jimmy Lenner, Jr.

Reader Mama wants to know if you breastfed your daughter and if so, for how long. She also wonders if you’re doing book signings.

Yes, I breastfed for five months. And yes, I’m definitely doing some book signings! I’ll let you know the places and dates when I’m all ready to go.

Reader Gianna wants to know who Sabrina looks like more: You or your husband?

When we see pictures of me, baby Thalía, she looks completely like me, in the face, the frame, the bones, the structure, the nose, the eyes, the eyebrows. But sometimes she looks like her father, in the way she looks at you. And her little hands and her feet are sometimes like her father. But she’s more like a little Thalía.

That is so true, I had such a HARD time recovering after having my baby boy, his birth had just ripped me open if that makes sense and I needed stitches down there and overall, physically, I was just aching. It took me 6 months to properly heal, and to be comfortable with myself and I also had matisis from breastfeeding Pierre- but NOBODY had told me about it. So when my friends had their babies, I talked about it and they were relieved, ” Oh god, thank you, I thought I was the only one.” I don’t want this to be seen as embarrassing or whatever, because it is important to talk about it with other mothers. Anyway, I thank Thalia for bringing this up. I’ve never heard of her but she seems like a great woman!

Almina
on April 28th, 2009

I love Thalia. I love her telenovelas and her songs. She is so talented and so beautiful. She is my idol. She is my role model. Cheers from Macedonia. Almina

Thalia is so pretty, she is not my favorite singer or actress, but I must confess she is a beatiful girl.

I wish we could see more picture of Sabrina! I bet you she is a doll 🙂

Sally
on April 28th, 2009

I haven’t read her book, but I’m not sure I agree with her statement about things that “nobody tells you about”. I never felt that way. There is SOOOO much information out there. Good, bad and indifferent. In fact, I think that’s part of the problem. There’s just so many different ways of informing yourself. I think there’s something to be said for being overinformed.

I’m not sure she shared anything unique as far as ‘secret information’ but I appreciate that everyone has a different experience, so she’s just sharing hers. I’m just not convinced that her book will end up being that much different from, say, Jenny McCarthy’s book, etc.

gianna
on April 28th, 2009

Aww glad my question was answered, I love thalia, so talented and pretty. Last time I saw pics of sabrina, she resembled thalia mostly, so I agree with her. I hope we can see some recent pictures soon of sabrina with her parents.

I’m with babyboopie. People told me I’d be sore, but no one told me I wouldn’t be able to SIT. I was bed-bound for a week after giving birth. And not even my doctor told me to do Kegels exercises so I wouldn’t feel like I had to pee every two seconds once I was able to walk.

Flavia Tropia
on April 28th, 2009

Ow I´m so happy that my was answered!!Thanks 🙂

Brenda O'Brien
on April 28th, 2009

I agree with Sally, there is a lot of information out there!! I don’t know which books Talia read, but personally I did find many books that talked about what she calls ‘secret society’ Hello? We are in the 21st century!! All this info is available now!!. Her book is probably good, but is not the ONLY book worth buying, either. From what I read she is some type of latin celebrity. Now days, celebrities seem to be an expert on everything! From clothing design, to motherhood advisers…? oh well!!